Will Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong return to MLB superstar form?

Pete Crow-Armstrong is approaching the game differently this season -- thanks to a Little Leaguer.

During his three-plus seasons in the major leagues, the Chicago Cubs center fielder has been known to throw his bat or helmet after making an out as he tends to wear his emotions on his sleeve. But so far this season, those outward displays have been few and far between. And it wasn't a conversation with manager Craig Counsell or even a veteran teammate that led PCA to tone down his behavior.

"This offseason, a dad told me that he took his son off of his Little League team for throwing his bat and almost hitting a teammate," Crow-Armstrong told ESPN recently. "And the kid said, 'But Pete does it.'

"So that one hurt and still hurts."

The 24-year-old outfielder is still playing with the raw emotion that helped him become one of the most popular and productive young players in the sport the first half of last season, but he's attempting to refine his game after a second-half swoon carried over into the first few weeks of this season.

"It's really about respecting yourself, more than the other things," Counsell said. "It's the belief about how good you are. You don't need that."

Learning how to "act like an adult" as Crow-Armstrong put it isn't just about setting an example for the young fans watching his every move, there's also a competitive reason that was illuminated during a conversation with Team USA WBC teammate Kyle Schwarber.

"Don't give anyone a reason to feel like there's any extra additive needed to show that you're struggling," Schwarber advised. "Because once you show any sort of weakness, that's when it kind of becomes blood in the water in some sort, that people could see that and think that, 'I got this guy beat.'"

It's all part of the learning curve for a player who has been in the spotlight since the Cubs acquired him in a 2021 trade deadline deal with the New York Mets for fan favorite Javier Baez.

"I've noticed that if I stay in the game and I can just handle my s--- properly, like an adult, then the game goes by faster," he said. "I have less time to dwell on what went bad. And I think the dugout is better for it when I am not making it known that I'm pissed off."

The Cubs are at their best when they are getting the most from a player they gave a six-year, $115 million contract to earlier this spring. But Crow-Armstrong has now posted just a .567 OPS in his past 75 games dating back to last Aug. 1, leaving fans in Chicago wondering when the MVP-level PCA they saw early last season will show up again. But there are signs that it could be soon.

This weekend, the Cubs head to Los Angeles hoping that a matchup against the defending champions in his hometown can ignite Crow-Armstrong just as it did last April.

He was hitting .211 with no home runs and a .549 OPS going into a series with the Los Angeles Dodgers before finding his power stroke with two home runs -- including a game-winning three-run blast -- in the finale. By the end of the month, he had six home runs and an .840 OPS to go along with 12 stolen bases. "PCA" became a household moniker.

"I think my first hit in that series was off [infielder]Miguel Rojas," Crow-Armstrong recalled with a smirk. "So I think I can thank him probably for getting me going."

The months that followed showed just how hot Crow-Armstrong can get when everything is clicking. He earned his first All-Star starting nod, notching 25 home runs and 27 stolen bases heading into the Midsummer Classic.

Despite his cooler second half, he joined Sammy Sosa as the only Cubs in the 30/30 club and posted 5.4 FanGraphs WAR, thanks in large part to his defense and baserunning that never slump.

"This might be how Pete goes," Counsell said. "It's going to be a little hot and cold. That's OK. What's not hot and cold is how he plays center field and how he runs the bases. That's as good as anyone in the world."

While the same issues that hindered Crow-Armstrong late last season have brought his production down again this month, there are signs his next hot stretch is just around the corner. His chase rate that was an MLB-worst 52% early in the season is now down to 45.6%.

The Cubs hope that knowing he can contribute in other ways even when he is struggling at the plate can take some of the pressure off Crow-Armstrong, as can being part of a deep lineup that is fourth in the majors in runs scored despite his early woes.

"I feel like I get to hide in there, especially with a bit of a slow start for me in terms of putting the ball in the air," Crow-Armstrong said. "It's given me such peace and it's allowed me to be really patient."

The rest of the Cubs' hitters are also adept at something that will likely never be a big part of Crow-Armstrong's game: drawing walks. In fact, Chicago ranks fifth in the majors in base on balls this season, despite getting just five from Crow-Armstrong so far.

"It's not really my job to do that here," Crow-Armstrong simply stated. "Hopefully those guys walk so I can drive somebody in or at least just put a ball in play.

"It's really just a contact point thing for me, like being cool with being extra early and knowing that my eyes are good enough to lay off s---."

The Cubs wouldn't mind seeing Crow-Armstrong drawing a free pass a little more frequently, but also don't want to see him try to become someone he is not.Increment improvements would be fine with his team.

"The notion of let's become a 10% walk rate," Counsell said. "That would crush Pete Crow-Armstrong, if you wanted that today. We're just trying to improve."

His 5.0% walk rate so far this season is already an improvement from last season's 4.5% mark and the Cubs are also encouraged by his recent at-bats against left-handed pitchers. Last weekend, he tripled off New York Mets lefty David Peterson and then took a close 3-2 pitch for a walk against southpaw reliever Sean Manaea.

"That was a moment I talked to him about because that was an important at-bat," Counsell said of the walk. "He stuck his nose in there and did a nice job and didn't lose discipline."

Perhaps stacking those moments will help Crow-Armstrong put it all together soon. Or maybe Los Angeles will be his elixir again, with family and friends in the stands the trigger he needs to take off. If not, he'll take a breath and slowly walk back to the dugout.

At least, that's the plan.

"I think it's about holding myself accountable and people have asked that of me this year," Crow-Armstrong said. "I don't want to subtract from what's good about this situation."br/]